Risk-based ventilation of patient rooms in hospitals, and its costs – is the ventilation worth the price?

Other conference contribution, 2025

Many infection control governmental bodies and international societies have issued recommendations for minimum ventilation in patient rooms in hospitals in the context of covid-19 and before. The recommendations can be summarized to 4-6 air changes per hour (ACH) or 40-60 liters per second and patient. These recommendations may in part be risk-based and in part be issued to reach a comfortable indoor environment. In Sweden the minimal airflow in a standard single patient room is 20 l/s, reaching about 1.5 ACH. We investigated if a modelled risk-based approach together with a cost analysis could be used for a basis for new ventilation rate recommendations. Modeled risk reduction of a higher ventilation rate was analyzed and the costs this would ensue with mechanical ventilation in a Nordic country.